The Deadly Vaccine
by cheri1
Summary: 11th DoctorRose, plus Mickey and Martha. Team TARDIS travels to Terseria on vacation and discover that the residents are getting vaccinated against a deadly flu. But the vaccine has a deadly secret attached to it.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is another of my Eleventh Doctor stories. The Eleventh Doctor is played by Ioan Gruffudd and the companions are Rose, Mickey and Martha. The first story was New, New, New Doctor so you might want to start with that one.

Chapter One

"Are you sure this vaccine patch is absolutely necessary?"

Mar'pak stared at the apothecary while he readied a small white patch.

"It is absolutely necessary," the apothecary replied. "There is a chance people may become infected with the Nok flu and we need to take every precaution. This vaccine will protect you from it."

"Yes, but, I don't think I really need it, I mean. I think the holonews is blowing it all out of proportion. The only people who have been infected are those that handle the Nok's directly. I'm a businessman. I've never been near a Nok, much less handled it."

"Nevertheless, the government wishes everyone to get vaccinated against it. The Nok flu is unstable and it could mutate at any time. It only affects people who handle the Nok, but tomorrow the virus could change and be passed from Terser to Terser. We can't take that chance, Mar'pak. This is for your own good."

Mar'pak sighed angrily.

"Make it quick then. I'm busy."

The apothecary nodded and stuck the patch onto the Terser's upper arm.

"How long do I have to wear this?" Mar'pak asked.

"Not long, just a few hours. The vaccine needs to be absorbed into your skin but after that you'll be completely safe from the Nok flu.

Mar'pak rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, safe, like there was a chance of me catching the flu in the first place," he muttered as he hopped off the examination table.

"Only doing my job, Mar'pak," the apothecary said. "You should feel grateful that they government of Terseria takes such an interest in its citizens."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Mar'pak muttered.

"Have a good day," the apothecary said brightly.

Mar'pak nodded. He opened the door of the exam room and headed outside.

The apothecary waited until he closed the door behind him before opening another door and stepping into a back room. He walked over to a holographic projector and stood in front of it.

"Ba'zon calling Minister Za'tok," he said aloud.

He watched as a light shot up from the base of the holographic projecter. A few minutes later, the minister appeared as a three dimensional hologram.

"What is it, Ba'zon?" he said angrily. "I was having supper."

"A thousand apologies, Minister. But I just wanted to update you on the vaccinations."

"Yes?"

"I administered 120 patches today."

"Excellent. And how many of those patches were enhanced?"

"50, Minister."

"Excellent. Keep me updated. The Head Chancellor will be pleased with your progress."

Ba'zon bowed low.

"I am honored to carry out his wishes, Minister," he said humbly.

"Good. Make sure that you keep giving out the enhanced patches at random until they are all gone. The Head Chancellor wishes to test them out in two days time."

"Yes, Minister," Ba'zon said.

He bowed again as the Minister stepped out of view. Switching off the projector, he went back out into the exam room and opened the other door.

"Nurse, send in the next person," he said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor smiled when he opened the TARDIS doors and stepped outside. It was a warm day on the planet Alpha Epsilon Five in the Andromeda galaxy and the TARDIS had landed exactly where it was supposed to land.

They were in front of the Sarsalon dormitory in the heart of Andromeda University. He looked behind him at Mickey who was standing in the doorway looking around.

"See em?" he asked the Doctor.

"Nope, not yet. But, don't worry, Mickey. They'll be here."

He smiled.

"Yup, here they come now," he added.

His smile widened when he saw Rose and Martha walking out of the dormitory towards them. He opened his arms wide and embraced them both when they ran into his arms.

"Oooooh, how's my girls?" he asked.

"Glad to be back, that's how I am," Martha said.

"Yeah, this semester was Hell. My Andromedan History teacher was a right arse. I was so glad when exams were finally over," Rose said. "He about drove me crazy."

"Yeah, and I'm still getting used to all these alien anatomy classes," Martha added. "I can't believe you talked me into coming here to finish medical school."

"Hey, I just figured if you're gonna be a doctor, you might as well take advantage of the fact that I can travel to different planets and add some alien medical courses to your degree. That way when you do go back to Earth and set up your practice, you'll be well prepared when Earth is invaded and the invading force need medical attention."

"Yeah, right, like that'll happen."

"It does, in the year 2067, as a matter of fact," the Doctor replied.

"That figures," Martha muttered.

The Doctor grinned and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Martha broke off the embrace and hugged Mickey while the Doctor put his arms around Rose and kissed her on the lips.

"So, Rose, you getting used to university?" he said to her.

"Yeah, finally. I can't believe I'm going. Mum never could afford university for me so it's strange actually going and living in a dorm and not just a dorm but a dorm on another planet."

"Well, the education on Earth is rubbish," the Doctor replied. "I just want both of you to get the best possible schooling you can and the Andromeda galaxy is known for its universities. Andromeda U. is the best in the universe or at least that's what their webpage said when I looked on Google Alpha Epsilon Five. Anyway, I figure your intergalactic political science major and alien studies minor are perfect for you. You've had plenty of experience with alien civilizations and now you can go into more in-depth studies about them and…Martha would you mind waiting until you're inside the TARDIS before you and Mickey snog each other's brains out? People are looking, you know. Anyway, what I'm saying is both you and Martha's degrees will be an invaluable help on our travels."

"Yeah, but the only drawback is I can't see you for three months at a time," Rose replied.

He held her tighter.

"Yeah, that is one thing I dislike about you going to university," he said. "Our bed looks awful lonely without you in it."

"Well, I guess we'll have to make up for lost time since I'm going on holiday."

"Oh yes," the Doctor murmured as he lowered his lips to hers. "Lots of lost time."

"Doctor…" Martha said.

The Doctor jerked his head back.

"Right, where was I? Oh! I was going to say that I think it's time to take a rest. I know I need one after schooling Mickey on alien fighting tactics. And I know the perfect place. A little peaceful planet named Terseria.

"Sounds great," Rose said.

"Yeah, I could use a break," Martha added.

"Me too," Mickey said.

"Well, then, what are we waiting for? Let's get inside and get going."

He and Rose shared a quick kiss. Ushering her inside, he stepped in behind her and closed the door. A few minutes later, the stillness of the afternoon was broken by the sound of the TARDIS dematerializing. The students sitting out in front of the dorm watched while it vanished and then went right back to their socializing.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Ah, Terseria," the Doctor said as he and the others stepped outside the TARDIS.

He adjusted his black leather trench coat while Rose, Martha and Mickey glanced up at the rose-colored sky and the two white moons suspended like diamonds in it. She looked down at the turquoise grass beneath their feet.

"I love it," she said.

The Doctor smiled.

"I figured you might."

He pointed to a domed city in front of him.

"And this…is Bel'nok, the capital of Terseria," he explained. "It's their largest city and their busiest. Sort of like the Terserian version of New York."

"So, there's a lot to do then," Martha asked.

"Oh yes," the Doctor said grinning. "This city has everything you can think of and then some."

"Well, what we waitin' for? Let's go!" Mickey said.

"Wait," the Doctor said, holding up his hand.

He reached into his coat pocket and brought out three tiny silver discs. He handed one to each of them.

"This is their money," he explained. "It works like a credit card. I've put 500 credits on each of them, but I want you to use them wisely. Is that understood?"

Rose, Martha and Mickey nodded.

"Good. Also, you need to stay behind me. We need to go through their version of customs before we enter the dome and I'm going to use the psychic paper to get us inside. So don't say anything. Let me do all the talking. Okay?"

They nodded.

"Follow me then," he said, taking Rose's hand.

Martha took Mickey's hand and followed behind them while they headed towards the city.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor looked at Rose.

"Yes?"

"Why do they have a dome over the city? I mean, we have oxygen out here, so it can't be that."

The Doctor shook his head.

"No, it's not that. It's because the Terser are prone to attack from their neighbors. Actually, if I recall, the Sontarans and the Daleks also tried to invade and were repelled. But mostly, it's from the Skul'tecs who live about…oh…I'd say 10 light years from here. Very ruthless lot. I've tangled with them before and they know how to fight. I don't fancy meeting them again in the future. Anyway, that's why they have the dome."

"How often do they attack?" Rose asked, glancing nervously at the sky.

The Doctor smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Not very often, luckily the Tersers can hold their own. They usually try to mount a huge invasion and that takes time and money. I wouldn't worry, Rose. Invasions are very rare, but the Terser feel it's better to be safe than sorry."

"I don't blame em," Rose replied.

They reached the dome and got into the queue at the entrance. Beside the queue, two guards stood and checked passports. The Doctor whistled and rocked back and forth on his heels while he waited his turn. He frowned when he noticed a couple of blue skinned aliens turn away from the door and walk past them muttering.

"Epidemic, indeed. Why weren't we informed before we left home? We just wasted half our holiday traveling out here," he heard the male say to his female companion.

He frowned wondering what was going on as he and the others stepped forward towards the door. After about five minutes, they finally reached the guards.

"Papers, please," the guard said to the Doctor.

The Doctor held up the psychic paper.

"My name is Doctor John Smith and these are my assistants," he said, gesturing to the others.

"A doctor?" the guard asked.

"Yes, we've been sent here to check out the epidemic," the Doctor said.

"Oh, the Nok flu."

"Yes, I believe that's what it was," the Doctor said, smiling. "Is there someone we can speak to about it?"

The guard frowned.

"You don't know who summoned you?" he asked.

"Ah, no, not exactly. I'm a specialist in communicable diseases and I received a message by holophone asking me to come here and lend my considerable expertise to the problem. I didn't ask too many questions. I thought it was more important to come here and assess the situation before it got out of hand."

The guard glanced at his companion.

"Yeah, it's really gotten out of hand alright," he said as his friend snickered.

Sobering up, he turned back to the Doctor.

"Well, what about them?" the guard said pointing to Rose, Mickey and Martha.

"These are medical students from the University of Pollos Eleven. They've been doing an internship with me and I brought them along to observe."

The guards looked at each other.

"I assume you have all the necessary papers for them as well?" the guard asked, holding out his hand.

"Papers? Um…well, I do, of course; but I was in such a huge hurry to get here before the Nok flu got out of control that I up and left them on the dining room table. Silly me," he said with a goofy grin. "Anyway, you'll have to take my word that they are indeed my students and if you will please let us through so I can talk with whoever is in charge, it would be much appreciated."

The guard hesitated.

"Um…I'm not supposed to let anyone into the city without the proper papers and---"

"Listen! I'm in a major hurry here!" the Doctor said, angrily. "I came here at great personal expense for me and my students and I don't have time to go back home and get their papers. You'll just have to trust that they are with me and I give you my full assurance that they are. Now, will you please step aside and let me do what I came here for? Otherwise, I may have to request your superior to sort this mess out and you don't want that, now do you?"

The guards glanced at each other.

"Of course, Doctor Smith, sorry to hold you up."

"It's no problem," the Doctor said cheerfully. "I know you are only doing your jobs."

Rose glanced back at Martha and Mickey and they all shared grins while the guard pressed a button on a control panel on the side of the dome.

"Here you are, Doctor Smith. Enjoy your stay," they said as a door slid open.

"Um, who is it I need to see once I'm inside?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh! Um…You can go to the apothecary. He'll probably know. Go up this street. Turn left, go about half a mile, turn right and it's the fourth building on your right."

The Doctor nodded.

"Thank you, and good day to you both."

He looked back at the others.

"Come along students and don't dawdle," he said pointing a stern finger at them.

"Yes, headmaster," Rose said, lowering her head and sticking out her lower lip.

The Doctor bit his lip to keep from laughing as he quickly led them through the door.

"That was brilliant!" Mickey said when they walked out of earshot. "All that stuff you made up about being a…commun…communica…"

"Communicable disease specialist," the Doctor said.

"Yeah, that!" Mickey replied. "That was fantastic. You sure know how to ad-lib."

"Yes, I am rather brilliant at that like I am at most things," The Doctor said haughtily.

He grinned when Rose gave him a swat on the arm and he kissed her on the cheek.

"So, now what do we do?" Mickey asked.

The Doctor looked back at him.

"What do you mean, what do we do?" he said.

"Well, I mean, we're going exploring, yeah?"

"Not right now. We have an apothecary to visit."

Mickey frowned.

"But, what you just said, that was just a bunch of rubbish."

"Yes, but it was a bunch of rubbish with a purpose," the Doctor replied. "That couple that walked away from the door mentioned something about an epidemic."

"And we're going to investigate it," Rose said.

"Yup."

"But…" Mickey protested. "Our holiday!"

"Aw, come on, Mickey," Rose said. "We can find out about this epidemic and still have fun, right Doctor?"

"Right!" he said, smiling.

"But, I thought we were gonna relax for a change!" Mickey whined.

The Doctor sighed. He stopped and turned to face Mickey.

"Mickey, I know you don't know what the Nok are, but they are the food source for the Tersers. They're kinda like giant boars."

"Yeah," Mickey said.

"Well, the Nok's get the flu, but only from other Noks and to my knowledge Tersers or other life forms are incapable of getting it… at least, they couldn't get it until now apparently. I want to find out what happened and how I can help stop it before it becomes an epidemic and not only destroys this planet but possibly every other planet in the galaxy. Now, if the only reason you came along was because you fancied Martha, I got a reality check for you. This is what we do. We help people out. If it interferes with our holiday, than the holiday will just have to wait. Now, if you have a problem with helping, you can always go back to the TARDIS."

He looked at Rose and Martha.

"Same goes for you two. You wanna help, come with me. You don't, wait for me in the TARDIS."

"I want to help," Rose said.

"Me too," Martha added.

The Doctor looked at Mickey and raised his eyebrow. Mickey sighed.

"Alright, but after we get this sorted out, we can have a little fun, yeah?"

"Sure," the Doctor said cheerfully. "I just want to attend to this first."

He looked at the three of them.

"Okay?"

They nodded.

"Okay, then, let's go see this apothecary and see what he has to say," the Doctor said.

He took hold of Rose's hand and walked off. Mickey sighed and glanced over at Martha.

"Shoulda known something would come up," he muttered as he took Martha's hand and followed them.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The Doctor opened the door and stuck his head in.

"Hello?" he called out.

He smiled at a woman sitting behind a desk.

"Hi, is this the apothecary?" he asked her.

The woman let out a bored sigh and nodded.

"Excellent."

He opened the door wider and he strolled in followed by Rose, Martha and Mickey.

"I assume you're the receptionist?" the Doctor asked her.

"You assumed right."

"Ah, allow me to introduce myself then. I'm Doctor John Smith, communicable disease specialist," he said, flashing the psychic paper in front of her eyes. "I wish to speak with one of your doctors about the Nok flu. I'm from Pollos Eleven and I was sent to find out the severity of the threat. Pollos Eleven wants to know the level of preparedness it must have if the epidemic spreads."

The receptionist rolled her eyes.

"Have a seat and Apothecary Ba'zon will be with you shortly," she said in a monotone voice.

"Great!" the Doctor said, flashing her a million pound smile. "By the way, did anyone ever tell you that you have beautiful eyes?"

"Sit!" the receptionist said, jabbing her finger at some empty seats.

The Doctor looked at the others.

"You heard the woman in charge, sit!" he said, jabbing his finger at the chairs.

The receptionist rolled her eyes and got up from her seat.

"I need a holiday and I need one quick," she muttered as she walked to the back of the waiting room.

The Doctor gave her a sugary sweet smile when she opened the door leading to the examination rooms, walked in, and slammed it behind her.

"Thanks a million, love, cheers!" the Doctor called after her.

They walked over to the chairs and sat down.

"Well," the Doctor said looking at the others. "Let's hope the apothecary is a lot friendlier than she is; especially if we're gonna be obtaining some information about this flu epidemic."

"There is no epidemic."

They looked across the waiting room and saw a man sitting and staring at them.

"There isn't?" the Doctor asked him.

"No, it's all a hoax. It's just something dreamed up by the drug manufacturers so they can make money."

"And are they making money?" the Doctor asked.

The man snorted.

"Hand over fist," he said. "Ever since they started scaring people with this made-up flu threat, they've been pushing everyone to get inoculated with a vaccine patch."

"So, is that why you're here?" Martha asked.

The man rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, my boss is making all his workers get one as a safety precaution. Total rubbish if you ask me. Just a waste of time plus I'm losing credits sitting here on my arse when I could be working. When I get back to the office I'm giving the boss a piece of my mind and---"

The examination room door opened and the receptionist stuck her head out.

"To'lan, the apothecary will see you now," she said in a bored tone of voice.

To'lan looked at the Doctor and rolled his eyes as he rose from his seat.

"Like I said, waste of time," he muttered as he walked toward the door.

The receptionist quickly stepped aside, let him through and then shut the door. She started towards her desk and then noticing the Doctor, stopped and narrowed her eyes.

"Apothecary Ba'zon has agreed to see you, but he is busy inoculating patients so don't take up too much of his time."

"Wouldn't dream of it," the Doctor said, smiling.

He leaned forward.

"Did anyone tell you when you get angry, your eyes sparkle?"

"Hmmmph!"

Rose put her hand over her mouth and Mickey and Martha chortled while the Doctor sat back with a triumphant grin on his face. He flashed the receptionist a look of innocence when she gave him a look of death and stomped back to her seat.

"Oh you are so bad sometimes," Rose whispered to him.

The Doctor gave her a surprised look.

"Bad? What's so bad about complimenting someone? Compliments make the universe go round, Rose, remember that."

Rose swatted his arm when he grinned and gave her a wink.

After about five minutes, the door opened and To'lan walked out.

"How was it?" the Doctor asked.

"A waste of time just like I said," he replied.

He shook his head and muttered as he walked out the front door. The Doctor watched him go and then turned his attention towards the receptionist. He gave her another winning smile.

"Can we go in yet?" he asked sweetly.

"Yes, you can go in," she muttered.

"Fabulous!" the Doctor said rising to his feet.

Rose, Martha and Mickey stood and followed the Doctor. He walked over to the receptionist desk and bent down with a smile.

"I'm sorry, but what is your name?" he asked her.

The receptionist eyed him.

"Mar'zac."

"Mar'zac, what an exquisite name," the Doctor said.

He looked into her watery eyes while they stared back at him.

"You look like a Mar'zac," he said, softly. "It's such a beautiful name. It makes me think of spring lambs cavorting gaily in vibrant fields of clover and---"

"Get in there before I change my mind," Mar'zac said pointing back to the door.

"Okey-dokey."

He blew her a kiss. Rose, Martha and Mickey averted their gaze and walked past while she glowered at them.

When they got past the door and closed it, Rose finally let loose with a howl of laughter. She rested her hand on the Doctor's shoulder and bent over laughing while the Doctor smiled at her.

"Oh man, that was just too good. Sometimes I wonder how you can get away with half the things you do."

"Oh, it's easy, Rose. I'm a charmer. I just finesse myself out of any situation. No one can resist my winning smile and witty bon mots. And now that we've dispatched with the anal retentive receptionist, it's on to the apothecary!"

He paused while he looked around at all the closed doors.

"Now, where is the apothecary's office at?" he mused.

A door beside them opened and a middle aged man stepped outside. He looked at them for a moment.

"Doctor…John Smith?" he said hesitantly.

"Yes, that's me. And you are Ba'zon?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes, I am Apothecary Ba'zon," he said. "The receptionist said you wanted to speak with me?"

"Yes, I'm from Pollos Eleven. I've been sent here on a fact finding mission. We wish to find out how bad the Nok flu epidemic is."

Ba'zon looked over his shoulder at Rose, Martha and Mickey.

"And they are…"

The Doctor glanced behind them.

"My students. They're serving an internship with me," he said. "I hope you don't mind if I bring them along. They're my star pupils."

Ba'zon shrugged.

"It makes no difference to me. Just be brief," he said.

"Of course," the Doctor said.

He stepped away from his door.

"Please come inside," he said.

The Doctor nodded. They entered the room and stood against the wall while Ba'zon came inside after them and closed the door.

"Now, what do you want to know?" Ba'zon asked.

"First off, when did this all start?" the Doctor asked. "I was under the impression that the Nok flu was not deadly to the Tersers."

"It wasn't, but a few months ago, a number of people began developing flu-like symptoms. Conventional treatment was useless and the victims died within a few days. We traced the origin of the flu back to people who had come in contact with the Nok on a daily basis such as butchers and Nok ranchers. It was then that we began to study the flu and found that the virus had mutated. This alarmed the government and they began to order vaccinations for the entire Terserian population and any visitors that came to our planet in the event that the virus mutated into an airborne pathogen."

"I see. And exactly how many deaths have occurred as a result of this Nok flu?" the Doctor asked.

"Three."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"Three deaths and you've ordered vaccinations for everyone?" he asked. "That's overreacting a bit isn't it?"

"Not at all. The Terserian government believes in taking precautions."

"Yes, I understand that. But, wouldn't it be easier and more cost effective to just inoculate the ones who come in direct contact with the Nok. They are the ones at greatest risk, aren't they?"

"Yes, for now. But this virus could mutate again and spread among the population. We have to take precautions now before that happens."

"But…what if that causes the virus to become stronger?" Rose asked.

Everyone looked at her.

"Well, I mean, on Ear…Pollos Eleven, they're warning people about taking antibiotics for every little cold that comes up and not to use antibacterial soap because the flu virus might become resistant to all that and come back stronger than before. Aren't you worried that might happen with this vaccine? That the Nok flu will develop a resistance to it and become stronger?"

The Doctor smiled proudly at her.

"Well, Apothecary?" he said. "Answer her. Isn't there a risk of that with mass inoculations?"

"Well, I suppose it is a possibility," Ba'zon said. "However, there is also a possibility that the virus would be eliminated entirely. As I said before, we Tersers believe in being prepared."

The Doctor nodded.

"You mentioned three deaths. Are there any people who have survived?"

"One. She's recovering now in the hospital. She barely lived."

"I see. And have you studied her blood to see if she had a natural immunity to the disease?"

"We are exploring all possibilities in combating this disease; I can assure you of that, Doctor," Ba'zon said.

"You said this woman was in hospital. Might it be possible to visit her?"

"Why?"

"I also wish to explore all possibilities, Apothecary. My people are concerned about an epidemic and they sent me to find out all I can. Would it be possible to talk to this woman?"

"I suppose. Although, I'm sure she won't be up to speaking to anyone for a few days. Would you be able to wait?"

"I will wait as long as it takes," the Doctor replied.

Ba'zon nodded.

"When she is ready to talk, I will give you her name and room number," he said. "Until then, I do not wish her disturbed. Where are you staying so I can have the data chip delivered to you?"

"Actually, I have not arranged any accommodations yet, we've just arrived. Would it be alright if I just returned here in two days time and get the chip?"

"That's fine. Although I can't guarantee she will be ready to talk then, but you can certainly return."

"That will be fine. Now if you'll excuse us, we want to go and get something to eat," the Doctor said starting for the door.

"Wait a moment," Ba'zon said.

The Doctor, Rose, Martha, and Mickey paused at the door.

"Yes?" the Doctor asked.

"You must be inoculated before you leave. It's the law, you know," Ba'zon said, opening up a drawer.

They all looked at each other.

"Um…I don't think that'll be necessary," the Doctor said.

Ba'zon laid a small tray on the table. The Doctor glanced down at the white patches arranged neatly inside it.

"Doctor, you said so yourself. You are concerned about not catching the virus. This will prevent that. So, if you and your students will roll up their sleeves, I will just apply a patch to each of your arms. It's completely painless."

"You don't mind if we just take some patches with us and examine them, do you?" the Doctor asked.

"No, I must apply them to your arms. Now roll up your sleeves."

The Doctor glanced at his companions.

"What…um, what is in these patches?" Martha asked.

"Just a standard flu vaccine. It will boost your immune system and protect you against the disease."

"Yeah, well, we'd rather just pass," the Doctor replied.

"Come now, Doctor, be reasonable. It'll only take a second," Ba'zon said. "Now, I'll say it one more time, roll up your sleeves."

The Doctor glanced at the others and nodded. They rolled up their sleeves while he took off his trench coat, laid it over his arm, and rolled up his sleeve. Ba'zon smiled.

"That's better. Now just hold still and let me apply them," he said.

They watched while he stuck the small white patch to each of their arms.

"Leave it on for a few hours and then you can take it off," he said.

The Doctor forced a smile onto his face.

"Yes, thanks, brilliant. We'll be going then."

"Enjoy your stay in Bel'nok," Ba'zon said.

"Thanks," the Doctor replied.

He looked at the others.

"Let's go," he muttered.

He gave Ba'zon another smile while he opened the door and ushered the others out.

"Good day, Doctor."

"Good day, Apothecary."

The Doctor slammed the door.

"Patches off now!" he said in a loud whisper.

Everyone grabbed a hold of their patches and tugged at them.

"It's not coming off," Rose said.

"Mine isn't coming off either," Martha added.

The Doctor let out an angry sigh.

"I was afraid of this. The patch has a special adhesive on it. It'll wear off in a couple of hours and then we can take the patches off."

The Doctor stomped his foot.

"Damn, I shoulda just followed my first instinct and ran for it," he said.

"Doctor, there isn't anything in these patches, is there?" Rose asked.

"I hope not, Rose. Until the adhesive wears off, we won't know for sure. In the meantime, all we can do is wait and try not to worry," he said.

He took hold of her hand.

"I suggest we go get something to eat to get our minds off it for the moment," he said.

The others nodded. Martha took a hold of Mickey's hand and all of them walked towards the front door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ba'zon put the tray back and closed the drawer. He breathed a sigh of relief while he picked up a small recording device.

"Ugh, I hate the ones who argue," he muttered.

He hit the on switch and spoke into the microphone.

"Four more patches administered at 16:16 Tersean Time. Three normal patches and one enhanced one.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The Doctor glanced down at the patch on his arm and shook his head angrily.

"I swear to Rassilon, if this patch has anything in it that'll make us sick, I will go back, grab hold of Apothecary Ba'zon and stick my sonic screwdriver somewhere unpleasant," he muttered.

They turned the corner and noticed several stalls were set up outside. People were milling about looking at the booths and haggling with the salesperson. Rose looked at the Doctor.

"Can we stop and see what they have?" she asked him.

"Ah, no, Rose. I'm hungry," Mickey said. "We can look later."

"I wanna look too," Martha said.

The Doctor noticed a small outdoor café right beside the booths.

"How about we do this? Mickey and I get us all something to eat while you two have a quick look at the booths?" the Doctor said. "Is that alright?"

Rose and Martha looked at each other and nodded.

"Okay, you have your credit discs if you want something, but go easy on the souvenirs. Okay?"

"Okay, Doctor," Rose and Martha said in unison.

The Doctor nodded and looked back at Mickey.

"Come on, Mickey; let's go find something to eat."

Mickey nodded and followed the Doctor while he headed off towards the café. Rose and Martha looked at each other, smiled and headed towards the stalls. They reached the first one and stared, enraptured, at the jewelry spread out before them.

"Good morning, ladies," the salesperson said. "Is there something you fancy?"

Martha's eyes grew wide when she noticed a small gold ring. She picked it up and admired the small pink gem embedded in the front of it.

"Arkios," the salesperson said, pointing to the gem. "From the planet Momosilla. A very rare gem. It would look exquisite on your finger, Miss."

Martha grinned at Rose. She slipped it on her finger and admired it while it sparkled.

"Very beautiful," the salesperson said, smiling. "I'll give it to you for 90 credits."

Martha looked up at him.

"Oh! I…uh…I don't think I should," she said. "It's beautiful though, thanks."

"Wait!" the salesperson said when she started to slip it off her finger. "Since it looks beautiful on your finger and it's a perfect fit, I'm willing to drop the price to 75 credits. How's that?"

"Well, I don't know," Martha muttered.

She stared at the ring.

"It is beautiful though."

Rose stared at the ring. Then, she suddenly became aware of the conversation going on at the next booth. A customer was holding a vase in his hands and pointing to it.

"I'll give you 110 credits for it," the man was saying to the salesman.

"I'll take 120," the salesperson replied.

"I'll give you 115." the man said.

The salesperson thought for a moment and then nodded his head.

"Done," he said.

She watched the man hand his credit disc to the salesperson and looked back at Martha.

"70 credits, Miss, but that's as low as I can go," the salesperson was saying to her.

"How about 50?" Rose asked him.

Martha looked at her.

"Haggle, Martha, that's what they want you to do," Rose said to her.

Martha's eyes widened in understanding.

"Yes, I'll buy it for 50," she said to the salesperson.

The salesperson shook his head.

"50 is too low. I'll sell it for 65."

"60."

"63"

"61"

The salesperson thought for a moment and then nodded his head.

"Done. 61 credits it is," he said.

Martha handed the man her credit disc. She glanced at Rose while he ran the disc through a scanner.

"You think the Doctor will get mad if I buy this?" she asked Rose.

"I don't think so. He's the one who gave us the credit discs. He never said we couldn't buy anything with them."

"Yeah, but I'm sure he meant for us to use it in case of emergencies."

Rose shrugged.

"If it was meant for emergencies, he would have said so, Martha. Don't worry about it."

Martha nodded. She smiled at the salesperson when he handed the credit disc back to her.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Miss," the salesperson said, bowing.

"And you," Martha replied, bowing back.

She stared at the ring while she and Rose walked away from the booth.

"For all I know, he could have just ripped me off," she said.

Rose shrugged.

"I'd rather have the ring than the credits any day," she said.

Martha nodded.

"Yeah, me too."

She glanced over at another booth and smiled at Rose.

"Come on, we still need to get you something and then get something for our men," she said.

Rose nodded. They got their credit discs ready and walked up to the salesperson.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ba'zon sighed and looked over at the door to his office when he heard the holographic projector beeping loudly indicating he had an incoming call.

"Now what?" he muttered to himself.

He opened the door and quickly closed it behind him. He walked over to the projector and hit the blinking button.

"This is Ba'zon," he said when the holographic image came into focus.

He sighed inwardly when he saw it was Minister Za'tok. He bowed wondering why he was calling him.

"Ba'zon, have you performed any more vaccinations today?" Za'tok asked.

"I have done several, Minister," Ba'zon said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"And how many of those have been enhanced patches?"

"Two, Minister."

"Excellent. Give me the chip number for one of the patches, Ba'zon. I wish to perform a little test."

"Ba'zon frowned."

"Test? What kind of test?"

"That is none of your concern!" Za'tok shot back. "You are to administer the patches to all citizens. You do not need to know anything further. Now give me one of the chip numbers."

Ba'zon sighed softly while he walked over to a table and picked up a list containing serial numbers and names. He walked back over to the projector.

"You want the number for one of the two I just did today?" he asked him.

"Yes."

Ba'zon glanced at the list for a moment and then cleared his throat.

"Okay…Serial number 35Z689Y."

Za'tok smiled.

"Thank you, Apothecary. Carry on with the vaccinations," he said.

Ba'zon watched while the hologram disappeared.

"Carry on with the vaccinations," he said in a snotty voice. "I'd like to put a patch right over that big gob of his."

He glanced down at the piece of paper in his hand. He frowned when he read the list of serial numbers. He had been giving some of his patients these enhanced patches that contained some kind of nanobot hidden in with the standard vaccine. But as for what purpose the nanobot served, he had no idea. He hoped it wasn't something sinister, but from what he knew of Minister Za'tok, he wouldn't put it past him. But even if there was something in some of the patches, there was nothing he could do about it. Minister Za'tok was a highly regarded government official and he was a lowly apothecary. No one would believe him and even if they did, Za'tok had ways to silence him and his family. The only thing he could do was obey orders and hope for the best.

As he opened the door and stepped into his exam room, he couldn't help but wonder what Za'tok was planning to do with the serial number he had given him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Thank you," Rose said as she and Martha stepped away from another booth.

She looked down at the strip of shimmering purple silk in her hand.

"What is it?" Martha asked.

"I don't know. But it's beautiful. Maybe I can make something out of it," Rose replied.

They both fingered the delicate silk.

"Okay, let's find something for the boys and---"

She was cut short when she heard several people screaming. She and Rose looked up and saw that someone was hitting people, picking them up and throwing them over the booths. He turned his enraged face towards Martha and Rose. They both gasped when they recognized him.

"Oh my God," Rose said. "It's To'lan."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Rose and Martha pushed their way through the panicking crowd.

"To'lan!" Rose yelled. "To'lan, why are you doing this? Stop it!"

They stopped short when To'lan picked up a screaming woman and threw her directly at them. They ran out of the way and gasped when the woman hit the pavement with a sickening thud.

"Oh God, we have to stop him!" Martha said.

Rose nodded.

"I'll go for his legs and you fall on top of him. We'll pin him down."

Martha watched while To'lan effortlessly knocked a man out of the way.

"You think that'll work?" she asked Rose hesitantly.

"I don't know. But we gotta do something before he kills someone! Just follow my lead!"

Martha nodded. She followed Rose while they pushed their way through the screaming mass of people. Rose gritted her teeth and with a grunt dived at To'lan's legs. She yelled in surprise when To'lan caught her and wrapped his hand around her throat. She coughed and gasped as he lifted her off the ground.

"Put her down!" Martha yelled at him.

She grunted when To'lan smacked her hard on the side of her head. Her head snapped to the side and she fell to the ground unconscious. To'lan looked at her for a second and then turned his attention back to Rose. He glared at her as he prepared to snap her neck.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!"

To'lan jerked his head and looked over Rose's shoulder at the Doctor and Mickey who were running towards him.

"I SAID LEAVE HER ALONE!" the Doctor screamed. "DROP HER, TO'LAN, NOW!"

Rose screamed when To'lan threw her aside like a rag doll. She landed hard on her stomach. Mickey ran to her side while the Doctor aimed his sonic screwdriver at To'lan.

"Calm down, To'lan," he said to him. "Just calm down."

He glanced quickly at Rose and saw Mickey helping her to her feet. He glanced over at Martha lying unconscious nearby and slowly inched his way towards her keeping his screwdriver trained on To'lan.

"To'lan, what's going on?" he asked him. "Why are you doing this?"

To'lan glared at him. He started to run off, but the Doctor stepped in front of him.

"Tell me why you're doing this," he said.

To'lan said nothing.

"I'm the Doctor. We met earlier in the apothecary's waiting room. Do you remember that To'lan?" he said calmly.

To'lan frowned.

"A…pothecary?" he said slowly.

The Doctor stared at him. He looked at his eyes and noticed they were unfocused.

"To'lan, what's happened to you?" he asked. "Can you tell me?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Rose was walking towards him. He quickly put up his hand to stop her.

"No, stay back, Rose," he said.

Rose obeyed and inched back towards Mickey. The Doctor came closer to To'lan.

"What's the last thing you remember, To'lan?" he asked him.

To'lan's brow furrowed.

"Remember?" he said slowly.

"Yes, what did you do after you left the apothecary?"

"I…went…"

To'lan froze. His eyes went wide.

"To'lan? What's wrong?" the Doctor asked.

To'lan's body began to spasm. The crowd around the Doctor screamed and began to back up while To'lan fell to the ground in an epileptic fit. The Doctor watched horrified as To'lan let out a gurgle and blood began to run out of his mouth. The spasm lasted for another minute and then suddenly To'lan's body relaxed and with one last gurgle, his life left him. The Doctor was so shocked; he didn't realize at first the Rose had put her hand on his shoulder. He glanced over at her while Mickey ran to Martha and crouched beside her.

"Oh my God, what happened to him?" she murmured.

The Doctor looked around at the crowd. He narrowed his eyes when he heard the words Nok flu being whispered among them.

"Before this gets out of hand and causes a panic which I suspect is what is about to happen, I just want to tell everyone that this man did not die from the Nok flu," the Doctor said.

"It is the Nok flu!" a man screamed from the crowd.

"No, it isn't! This was not caused by the flu. This man had an epileptic seizure."

"Yes, that's part of the flu!" a woman said.

The Doctor frowned.

"It is?" he asked her.

"Yes, that's how all the other victims died. They went into seizures right after catching the virus."

"Madam, I don't know where you got this information from, but I can assure you that he didn't die from the flu. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this man an hour ago."

"Yes, that's what it does. The flu kills you in an instant. It's killed over a hundred so far!" a man yelled.

The Doctor looked at him.

"No, that's wrong. There's only been four people affected and three have died from it, not a hundred."

"You're lying! The holonews just said this morning that there have been over a hundred deaths from Nok flu so far."

"And do you believe everything the holonews tells you?" the Doctor shot back.

He pointed to the patch on To'lan's arm.

"This man was just vaccinated, so how could he have died from the flu?" he asked the crowd.

"The vaccination didn't get into his system fast enough," a woman said. "The flu got to him before the vaccine could work."

The Doctor let out an angry sigh and shook his head.

"They're not listening to you," Rose said.

"No, and they're not going to listen. Apparently, the Terserian government's scare tactics are working."

"You don't think there's an epidemic?" Mickey asked.

"No, I don't."

He pointed at To'lan.

"To'lan did not die from the Nok flu. Granted there are some diseases like Pallidome Pancrosis that will kill you that fast. But Pallidome Pancrosis is not a flu virus. You can't catch the flu, any flu, and just die in under an hour. No, there's something else going on here and I intend to find out what."

He looked around as the panicked crowd began dispersing and shook his head.

"Apparently the government is using this to their advantage. Plant a few news stories, inflate the number of the dead, and scare the populace until they are begging to get vaccinated."

He looked down when Martha groaned and opened her eyes. He and Rose bent down beside her.

"Ooooh," Martha moaned, "in future, I think it'll be a good idea not to try to take the crazed lunatic head on."

He looked up at the Doctor, Mickey, and Rose.

"Um…I guess Rose is okay now," she murmured.

They helped her sit up.

"To'lan…is he okay?" she asked.

"He's dead, Martha," the Doctor said, pointing to his body.

Martha looked over at him.

"Oh God, what…what happened to him, Doctor?" she asked.

"I don't know, but we are going to get to the bottom of this and I think the place to start is Ba'zon's office. I wanna know why he told me three people have died from this flu when the media is saying one hundred."

"One hundred?" Martha asked.

"Yes, that's what someone in the crowd said. The holonews has been telling people that over a hundred people have died from the Nok flu and I want to find out the reason."

"But, wait, what if Ba'zon is the one who's lying?" Mickey asked.

"Then I want to know why," the Doctor said to him. "Someone is lying and we're going to find out who and why and then we're going to sort it out before the panic spreads off the planet."

They stood up and looked over when they saw a white bubble-like vehicle pull up with a green moon on the side of it followed by a black vehicle with the words Bel'nok Police Department written on the side of it.

"Let's go. We can let the professionals do their job. I want to catch Ba'zon before he leaves his office."

Mickey started off. The Doctor grabbed his shirt collar.

"The food," he said, pointing back to some white boxes sitting on a nearby bench. "We just paid for it and we can eat it on the way there. No sense in wasting it."

Mickey nodded. They walked back to the bench, grabbed the boxes and hurried back off towards the apothecary.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

They downed the food quickly and were done by the time they made it back to the apothecary. The Doctor flung open the front door and marched inside followed by his three companions. A couple of people sitting in the waiting room jumped and stared at him, but he took no notice of them as he walked past. He headed towards the exam rooms.

"Excuse me," Mar'zac said jumping in front of him.

"Out of my way," the Doctor snarled at her.

"You can't go in there without an appointment! Apothecary Ba'zon is busy and…"

"Then he'll just have to make time for me. Now move out of the way before I shove you out of the way!"

Mar'zac saw the menace in his eyes and stepped aside.

"Thank you."

He looked back at Rose, Martha and Mickey.

"Let's go gang," he said.

They walked towards the exam rooms while everyone stared at them in shock.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"There you go," Ba'zon said as he finished putting a patch on a woman's arm, "it'll stay on for a couple of hours and then you can take it---"

He gasped when his door banged open and the Doctor walked in.

"Ah, just the man I wanted to see," he said, glaring at him.

"I beg your pardon. I have a patient here," Ba'zon said angrily.

"Yes, and now she's finished. You can talk to me," the Doctor replied.

Ba'zon sighed.

"You can go," he said to the woman.

The woman hopped off the exam table. She stared at the four strangers while she hurried past them out the door.

"Close the door, Rose," the Doctor said when she was through.

Rose shut the door while the Doctor stepped forward and put his arms over his chest.

"What is the meaning of this?" Ba'zon demanded.

"I want some answers and I want them now!" the Doctor replied.

"Answers? What kind of answers?"

"I want to know why To'lan is dead!"

Ba'zon stared at him.

"Dead? What are you talking about?"

"We were over near the marketplace and while we were there, To'lan went on a rampage and nearly killed several people, including my friends, before falling to the ground and dying a violent death. I want to know why!"

"I…I don't know why," Ba'zon stuttered.

"Several people claimed that the Nok flu killed him, which seems to me a little far-fetched considering flu viruses don't work that fast."

His eyes narrowed.

"Plus, someone in the crowd said that the Nok flu has killed over a hundred people so far, not the three you claim. So, why is there such a huge discrepancy in the number of casualties? What's really going on? Why is it so necessary to vaccinate everyone?"

"I told you, we're taking precautions. The virus is deadly. We need to take care of the problem before it gets out of hand," Ba'zon replied.

"So, am I to assume there's been a huge cover up?"

"No."

"Then why does everyone think that a hundred people have died from the flu?"

"Uh…rumors, I guess. You know how people talk and spread gossip. I'm sure someone got the number of dead wrong and told someone else and they told someone and on and on until a lie became the truth."

"Or the truth became a lie."

"I assure you, a hundred people have not died," Ba'zon said.

"Then, why vaccinate everyone?"

Ba'zon sighed.

"Because I'm under orders to do so," he said.

"Who is ordering it?"

"That's none of your business."

He gasped when the Doctor grabbed him by his shirt and put his face close to his.

"I just watched a man go on a murderous rampage. A man I talked to a few hours ago who seemed perfectly normal. He then got one of those patches and suddenly he was an insane psychopath. I managed to calm him down, but he seemed dazed and confused and couldn't even remember that he was even here. Then, he went into violent convulsions and died a horrible death right at my feet. Seems to me that the patch was responsible for his behavior and death, so you better believe me when I say this _is_ my business, Ba'zon. Now talk! What is in these patches?"

"Just medicine."

"What kind of medicine?"

"I don't know exactly."

"You don't know what is in these patches and yet you willingly stick them on people's arms?" the Doctor said angrily.

"I'm bound to do my duty without question. The government is the one who commands me to do it. I cannot question it or I lose my license to practice. I'm sorry; Doctor, but I really don't know what the vaccine is. I'm not a scientist. I only administer the patches. That is my job. I'm not sure what has happened to To'lan. It sounds to me like he had an allergic reaction to the vaccine and---"

"That was no allergic reaction. When you have an allergic reaction to something, it doesn't turn you into a mindless psychopath!"

"Then, I don't know what happened, Doctor! That's the first time I've ever heard of something like this happening, I swear. I'm not trying to hide the truth from you."

The Doctor eyes bored into him.

"I'm not completely convinced of your innocence, Ba'zon. I think you know more than you're letting on," he said.

"I'm sorry you think that way, Doctor. All I can say is you're mistaken. I've told you all I know. I can't help if you don't believe me. I'm sorry that To'lan is dead. I don't know what happened to him, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't the patch that did it. Every other person I've administered the vaccine to has been fine. Look at you and your students, Doctor. All of you are wearing the patches and as far as I can see, none of you has become psychopathic monsters. Most of the people in this city have had the vaccination. If what you're saying is true, then those people should be running around murdering one another. Are they? So, I don't buy that it's the patch that did it. It must be something else, which means I had nothing to do with it, so I really don't appreciate you barging into my office with your students accusing me of murdering people when you don't have any proof. I am busy, Doctor, I have people waiting out there to get the patch. People who have to go home or go to work. You are holding them up with these crazy accusations of yours. Now, if you don't have anything else to say, I want all of you to leave so I can do my job!"

The Doctor glared at him.

"Alright, I'll go," he said. "But don't think this lets you off the hook. I'll find out what's happened to To'lan and if I find out you are lying to me, then rest assured I will return."

"Whatever, Doctor, just go."

The Doctor stared at him for a moment and then turned to his companions.

"Come on, guys, let's go. The apothecary has work to do," he said to them.

Rose, Martha and Mickey glared at Ba'zon as the Doctor walked over to the door and opened it. Then, all of them turned and followed him out. Ba'zon waited until the door was closed before opening the door to his office. He closed it and walked over to the holoprojector. He turned it on and took a deep breath.

"I need to contact Minister Za'tok," he said aloud.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

There was a pause and then Za'tok appeared as a hologram.

"What is it, Ba'zon? I'm busy!" he said angrily.

"Minister, I need to ask you something," Ba'zon said.

"Yes, what?"

"I was just informed that one of my patients suffered a violent death after receiving the patch."

"Oh really, who?"

Ba'zon looked down at his notes.

"The one who had the serial number you requested. 35Z689Y."

"Oh yes," Za'tok said. "He has died?"

"Yes, Minister."

Ba'zon noticed that Za'tok didn't seem too shocked at hearing that.

"What is your question, Ba'zon? As I said, I'm very busy," he said when Ba'zon didn't say anything.

"I want to know what is in that vaccine."

"It is no concern of yours what is in it. Your job is to administer it to the population."

"Yes, but if some people are having a violent reaction from it, maybe we should wait and run more tests and---"

"No further tests are needed, the vaccine is safe!" Za'tok said angrily.

"But, I was told that the patient, To'lan, went on a violent rampage and nearly killed several people before he suffered convulsions and died in the street!"

"Who told you this?"

"His name is Doctor John Smith. He said he was a specialist in communicable diseases and he was summoned here to study the Nok flu. He wanted to know---"

"Who summoned this Doctor Smith?"

Ba'zon paused.

"I don't know…I assumed you sent for him," he said.

"I did not. I've never even heard of this man. And I'm pretty sure no one in the ministry summoned him either."

"Then, who is he?"

"How should I know?" Za'tok said.

He narrowed his eyes.

"What exactly has this man said?" he asked.

"He's just been asking about the Nok flu and the number of victims. He was here when To'lan was and I guess while they were in the waiting room; he talked with him so he knew who he was when To'lan went on the rampage. Then, he came back accusing me of lying to him and wanting to know what was in the vaccine. He also said that there was a crowd around the dead body and they told him that a hundred people have died from the flu so far, but I know of only three and I told him that. He doesn't believe me which is why I decided to call you."

"Why concern me with this? I don't know this, To'lan."

"No, but you were the one who wanted the serial number of his chip. You said you wanted to perform a test. What kind of test?"

"That is none of your business, apothecary. Your job is to administer the vaccine. I suggest you remember that before you find your license revoked. I can make things very difficult for you and your family, Ba'zon. Keep that in mind."

"Yes, Minister," Ba'zon said softly.

Za'tok paused a moment.

"This Doctor, is he coming back to see you again?" he asked.

"Maybe, like I said, he wasn't satisfied with the answers I gave him so I'm sure he'll be back."

"Then, I want you to find out who he really is. I did not request the services of any doctor and I want to know why he is here and if he intends to harm us. It is vital to planetary security that we find out his identity as quickly as we can before he carries out his sinister plans."

Ba'zon frowned.

"He didn't seem sinister to me, Minister. I never really felt threatened by him or his students."

"Students?"

"Yes, he has three medical students with him from the University on Pollos Eleven."

"There is no university on Pollos Eleven. Pollos Eleven is a desert planet. No one lives there, let alone attends university.," Za'tok said.

Ba'zon stared at him.

"But, why would he lie?"

"I don't know, but I want you to find out before he and his so-called students threaten the Terserian government."

He paused.

"Did you give them the vaccine by any chance?" he asked.

"Yes, Minister, I gave it to all of them."

"Were any of them enhanced patches?"

"One was, yes."

Za'tok smiled.

"Excellent. That may come in handy if they get out of line."

Ba'zon's mind was burning with more questions, but mindful of his job, he remained silent.

"Is that all you needed?" Za'tok said.

"Yes, Minister."

"Good, then let me get back to my work."

Ba'zon bowed his head.

"Yes, Minister, good day."

"Good day."

Ba'zon watched as he stepped out of range of the holoprojector. He reached down and switched it off feeling even more confused than he had when he first switched it on.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Za'tok turned off his holoprojector and walked out of the room. He walked across the hall and went into his office.

He sat down at his desk and turned on a tiny monitor. He waited a moment until he was connected with his boss. He bowed his head reverently.

"Just checking in, my lord," he said. "I'm happy to report that the test was a success. The chip worked perfectly. Soon, the plan will be set in motion."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor and his companions sat together at a small table outside a café. All of them had ordered juice and they were sipping it while they talked over the events of the past few hours.

"What are we gonna do, Doctor?" Rose asked.

The Doctor sipped his juice while he stared off into space.

"We need to talk to that woman in the hospital. The one who survived the flu. I want to find out what she knows. How did she survive the flu when others have died," the Doctor finally said.

"How do we find out who she is?" Mickey asked. "Go back to Ba'zon?"

The Doctor took a sip of juice while he considered that.

"No, I have a feeling Ba'zon won't tell us," he said.

"Then, how do we find her?" Martha asked.

"Oh, I expect if she is the only one who has survived the Nok flu, she'll be very well known," the Doctor replied.

"So we just go to hospital and ask for her then?" Rose asked.

"We can try. I'm not sure if they'll let us talk to her since we aren't family or friends, but I can always use my John Smith cover and tell them I want to interview her to find out how she survived the flu. At any rate, she is our best bet right now. Ba'zon is being uncooperative and there are too many rumors flying around now so other Terserians would be unreliable."

"So, we go now?" Martha asked.

The Doctor nodded.

"Yes, the sooner the better. I want to see this woman before someone moves her or prevents her from talking to us," he replied.

He stood up and beckoned to the others.

"So, come on team, let's go pay a visit to this woman and find out why she survived this flu."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

After asking several people for directions, the Doctor and his companions finally found the hospital. They stared up at the white building with the green moon displayed prominently on the side. The Doctor reached into his coat pocket and brought out his psychic paper. He felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned to look at Rose.

"Just have to ask, hospitals still bother ya?" she asked.

The Doctor frowned in confusion for a moment and then he realized what she was talking about.

"Oh yeah, I did hate hospitals in my last life, didn't I?" he said with a chuckle. "No, they don't bother me now."

"How about the little shops?"

"In the hospital? Oh yeah, I still think every hospital should have a little shop. It's an absolute must," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

He held his psychic paper in his left hand while he took Rose's hand with his right. He looked back at Martha and Mickey.

"Well, onward and upward, gang," he said while they headed towards the building.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The receptionist looked up when they entered the lobby.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

The Doctor held up his psychic paper.

"Doctor John Smith, specialist in communicable diseases from Pollos Eleven. I'm here to see the woman who survived the Nok flu."

She looked at Rose, Martha, and Mickey.

"And they are…"

"These are my students. They're doing an internship and have traveled with me to learn firsthand the effects of the Nok flu. Now, if you don't mind, we'd like to talk to the patient?"

"Do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked.

"No, we were not aware we had to make one. Apothecary Ba'zon said he would make all arrangements for us. We have his permission to come here and speak with the woman."

"I see, and where is proof of his permission?"

The Doctor turned the psychic paper towards him and pretended to fiddle with it.

"Ah, here it is," he said turning it back around to her. "His permission for us to visit with her."

Rose noticed the receptionist staring at the psychic paper skeptically and for a moment, she thought she wasn't going to buy it. But then, she sighed, opened a small book and put it in front of him.

"Sign the visitor registry, please."

The Doctor smiled, took the pen, and signed their names in the book. He sat the pen down and took four small yellow badges from the receptionist.

"Wear these while you are in here, it identifies you as visitors," she said.

The Doctor nodded and passed out the badges. All of them clipped them to their clothes.

"I'm sorry, but Ba'zon was in a hurry and didn't tell us what room this woman was in," the Doctor said giving her a polite smile.

Again, Rose saw the suspicious look pass over her face for a moment.

"She's in room 1123 B," she finally said.

The Doctor beamed at her.

"Thanks so much," he replied.

They turned and walked off down the corridor towards the lift. The receptionist watched them go and when they were out of earshot, pulled her mini-holoprojector over towards her. She pushed a button on it and said, "Get me Minister Za'tok."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Za'tok grumbled when he walked into the room containing his holoprojector.

"I swear to the gods if Ba'zon calls me one more time, I will have his license torn up in front of his face."

He hit the button on the base and was taken aback when he saw a woman instead of Ba'zon.

"Yes," he said warily, "may I help you?"

"Minister, my name is Ta'ra. I'm the receptionist at Terserian Hope Hospital."

"Yes, what do you want?" he said impatiently.

"Sir, you wished someone to inform you if anyone was visiting Za'tiria Pelra."

"Who?"

"The woman who is here recovering from the Nok flu."

His eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh yes, now I remember. Sorry, her name escaped me for the moment. You say someone is visiting her?"

"Yes, Minister."

"What are their names?"

Ta'ra looked at the register.

"Doctor John Smith, Miss Rose Badwolf, Miss Martha Judoonmoon, and Mister Mickey Idiotboy. Those are the names he wrote down."

"So, that Doctor Smith did go and see that woman after all," Za'tok murmured.

"He said he had permission from Apothecary Ba'zon, whoever he is, and showed me a permission slip he wrote allowing him and his students access to Za'tiria's room."

Za'tok narrowed his eyes.

"I see, did he now," he said angrily. "I shall have to have a talk with him about that."

"What do you want us to do?" Ta'ra asked.

Za'tok thought for a moment.

"Keep them there and summon the police. I wish to interrogate this Doctor Smith myself when he gets to the prison."

"I will do it at once."

"Thank you and thank you for summoning me. You may have prevented a national crisis."

He could see her eyes widen at that, but she merely bowed.

"Always happy to do my part for the government," she said, bowing her head.

Za'tok smiled.

"As am I, Miss Ta'ra, as am I. Good day."

He switched off the holoprojector.

"First I will find out what this Doctor Smith knows before I confront Ba'zon. But, if he did help him, I will put an enhanced patch on him, myself!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Here we are, 1123," the Doctor said, pausing at a room.

He looked inside and noticed the only occupant in the room was a blonde haired woman lying in the bed on the far side. He nodded at his companions and they followed him in. As they neared her bed, they could see she was asleep. Rose noticed a purple patch on the side of her face.

"What's that?" she said, pointing to it.

"It's medicine of some kind." The Doctor said, bending over the woman.

She stared at her for a moment. She was beautiful, but her face was haggard from being ill. His hearts ached watching her sleep peacefully. He hated to wake her when she needed rest, but he had no choice. He had to find out what was going on and if she was able to survive the Nok flu, she might hold the key to finding a cure. Gently, he put his hand on her shoulder and began to shake her.

"Miss?" he said in her ear.

She groaned.

"Miss, I'm sorry to wake you, but I have to ask you a few questions."

The woman eyes fluttered open. She stared at the Doctor, confused.

"Who...are… you?" she said sleepily.

"My name is the Doctor," he said. "I'm so sorry to disturb you, but my friends and I have come a long way and we need to ask you a couple of questions. After that, we'll be on our way."

The woman nodded and slowly sat up while the Doctor pulled up a chair beside the bed.

"What is your name?" the Doctor asked.

"Za'tiria."

The Doctor smiled.

"That's a very pretty name."

Za'tiria nodded, still half asleep. She glanced up wearily at Rose, Martha, and Mickey who were standing at the end of the bed.

"Who're they?" she murmured.

"Those are my friends, Rose, Martha, and Mickey. They're helping me," the Doctor said.

Za'tiria looked at him.

"What do you need to know?" she said softly.

The Doctor gave her a sympathetic smile and laid a hand on her arm.

"What happened when you got the Nok flu? When did you get sick?" he asked gently.

"Right after I got the patch."

The Doctor glanced at his companions and looked back at her.

"But…I was under the impression that the vaccine prevented people from getting the flu," he said to her.

"It does, but somehow I got it anyway," she said.

"When was this?"

"About a month ago."

"You've been in the hospital for a month?"

Za'tiria nodded.

The Doctor stared at her sadly. He could tell how exhausting it was for her to be answering these questions and he felt guilty for putting her through it. He decided to ask only a couple more and then let her rest. They could always find out information elsewhere.

"Can you describe what happened when you got sick?" he asked her.

Za'tiria paused a moment in thought.

"It was so strange, I don't really remember much," she said. "I just remember walking along the pavement and then feeling funny all of a sudden and my head felt like it was gonna split open and then I blacked out. When I woke up, I was lying on the ground with blood on my hands."

She looked at him.

"They said I killed someone. An old man."

The Doctor took her hand when he saw the shame in her eyes.

"It wasn't your fault Za'tiria. If you blacked out, you had no idea what you were doing," he said gently.

"I guess, but it still haunts me to this day. That poor man."

The Doctor felt rage rise within him. He suspected there was more to this disease than people were saying and he especially felt that it might be man-made. If it was, then the Terserian government was the one responsible for Za'tiria murdering an innocent man and that infuriated him. First To'lan went berserk and now he found out Za'tiria murdered someone while under what he suspected was a similar rage. He was now determined to find out what was going on and put a stop to it before anyone else was hurt or killed.

"Za'tiria, I just want to ask you one more question and then I'll leave you alone," he said.

Za'tiria nodded.

"Why did you live when everyone else has died from this Nok flu? Do you have any clue why you survived?"

Za'tiria's brow furrowed while she thought.

"I really don't know. They said I was lucky though."

The Doctor nodded.

"Yes, you are and I hope you recover quickly and have a wonderful, peaceful life. In the meantime, I and my students will get out of your hair so you can rest."

He stood back up and motioned to his companions to go on out.

"Thank you for your time, Za'tiria," he said.

She nodded.

"You're welcome. I hope you find whatever is causing the sickness."

"I hope so too."

He helped her lie back in her bed and when she was comfortable; he squeezed her hand and walked out of the room.

Once he went through the door, he was shocked by the presence of several armed police officers standing around Rose, Martha, and Mickey. They looked over at him.

"Doctor Smith, you and your friends will come with us," an officer said to him.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

The Doctor looked up when the cell door opened and a guard came into the room.

"Come with me. You're going to the interrogation room. You will walk in front of me and keep your mouth shut," he said to him.

"First, I want to know where my students are," the Doctor replied. "What have you done with them?"

The guard whipped out a long black stick and pressed a button. Electricity shot out and hit the Doctor's body. He screamed while it coursed through his body. The guard kept it on him for thirty seconds and then stopped.

"I repeat! You will be silent! You will not argue. You will not question! You will walk down the hall to the interrogation room without another word or you will get another blast from my shock stick. Is that clear?"

The Doctor gritted his teeth.

"Crystal," he snarled at him.

The guard smirked.

"Get up then."

The Doctor glared at him as he slowly stood up. The guard stepped aside.

"After you," he said cheerfully.

The Doctor resisted the urge to wrestle the shock stick out of his hand and use it on him. He calmly walked by the guard ignoring his snickers. Until he found out what they had done with his companions, he knew he had no choice but to comply. He walked down the hall looking left and right trying to see if any of his friends were in the cells. He couldn't see them and it filled him with worry and frustration knowing that their captors might be torturing them trying to get them to talk. The thought of that made him flash back to when he and Martha were being held by the Valeyard. He had sworn after they had escaped he would do everything in his power to prevent something like that from ever happening again and he knew if he didn't get answers soon as to the fate of his friends, he would start ripping the place apart looking for them.

The guard pulled on his arm, stopping him. He stood quietly while he knocked on the iron door in front of him and it was pulled open. The guard shoved the shock stick in the Doctor's back and he sighed angrily while he stepped inside. It was a bleak, dark room with a small chair in the middle of it. Seeing it brought back more images of the Valeyard torturing him and he had to take a deep breath to steady himself. He felt the shock stick being poked in his back and he knew they wanted him to sit in the chair.

"If you don't mind, I would like to stand," he said as politely as he could.

He grunted when the guard smacked the stick onto his back.

"Sit down!" he barked at him.

The Doctor couldn't help himself. He spun around and glowered at the guard.

"I will do as you say, but if you continue to be rough, then I will get rough in return!" he snarled.

His head snapped back when the guard hit him in the mouth with the shock stick.

"I said sit down and shut your damn mouth!" he screamed at him.

The Doctor sat down in the chair and felt his mouth. He took his hand away and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't see any blood. He glared at the guard who was chuckling at him.

"Told ya to sit down," he said. "See, ya almost got your pretty face busted open. Not to mention you coulda lost some teeth. It pays to listen to your betters."

"Be glad I am obeying at the moment or I would show you who the better one really is," the Doctor muttered under his breath.

He looked over at the door when a man entered. He could tell that from the reverent bow the guard was giving him that the man was important. He guessed he was the one who ran the prison.

_Good, this guy can give me some answers,_ he thought.

The man closed the door and walked over to the Doctor. He regarded him silently for a moment.

"What is your name?" he said.

"John Smith, what's yours?"

"I will ask the questions here and you will answer them and that's all you will do," the man said.

The Doctor bit back a sarcastic comment. Unlike his last incarnation, he did know when to hold his tongue especially if his friend's lives were at stake. He sighed, hoping this whole question and answer session wouldn't last too long.

He stared up at the man waiting for him to continue. He rolled his eyes when the man didn't say anything else.

"I'm waiting for the next question," he finally said. "You can ask it at any time."

"I'm just trying to decide if you are telling the truth or not," the man said. "You see, I don't believe that is your name and I don't believe you're a real Doctor nor do I believe you came here on a simple fact finding mission."

"Yeah, and what exactly do you believe then?"

The man leaned forward.

"I believe you are a spy sent to infiltrate and bring down the Terserian government."

"Nope, sorry, that's wrong," the Doctor replied.

"Is it? Because I'm pretty sure you and your friends are exactly that."

"No, we're not."

"Then who are you?"

"I'm Doctor John Smith."

"The truth!"

"I am telling you the truth. I'm Doctor John Smith, communicable disease specialist from Pollos Eleven."

"Aha! There is nothing on Pollos Eleven. It is a desert planet!"

"Not anymore," the Doctor said without missing a beat.

The man frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"They've terraformed it. It's habitable now and there are several homes, businesses and a university."

"You lie!"

"How long has it been since you've been to Pollos Eleven?"

"I've never been there."

"Then how do you know what it's like there?"

The Doctor folded his arms over his chest and gave him a smug smile. He waited for a response from the man.

"Well, answer me, how do you know what it's like on Pollos Eleven when you've never been there?" he said.

"I do not have to answer that. I am the one asking the questions here!" the man spat out.

"Well, that's peculiar, because up until now you've been letting me get away with asking questions. But the moment I asked one you couldn't answer, you tell me to shut up. Is it because you don't want to admit that you could be wrong or is this some kind of Terserian good cop, bad cop routine?"

"I still think you are lying to me!" the man spat out.

"Yeah, I get that, but see, my point is I just blew a huge hole in one of your accusations and now you're trying to change the subject because you don't want to admit that you might be wrong about something. See, it's kinda like what's going on with the government and the Nok flu. Every time someone tries to uncover the truth about what's really going on, people like you come along and try to mislead the public and change the subject so they'll stop asking the right questions."

"We are not misleading the public!"

"Oh really? Then why the huge discrepancy in casualty figures? Why have two people gone on rampages after receiving the vaccine patch? Why isn't the government upfront about what is in these vaccine patches in the first place? What is Terseria trying to hide from its people?"

"We are hiding nothing!"

"Gee, you seem pretty defensive all of a sudden," the Doctor said smugly. "Am I hitting a nerve?"

"You know nothing of what goes on here. You are an outsider!"

"I know what I've seen and heard. I've seen a man who was perfectly normal when I first met him. Then the next time I saw him, he was rampaging through a market trying to kill everyone in his path and then he convulsed and died in the street, an hour after getting this vaccine patch I might add. Then, I just talked to a woman who miraculously survived the flu, but she also went on a blind rampage and killed a man, also after receiving the patch. Apparently, the patch affects some people and causes them to lose control and kill others, but the government either doesn't know about that or doesn't care. It seems to be concerned with just sticking patches on people's arms regardless of whether they need them or not."

"Everyone needs the patches. The flu must be eradicated before it becomes an epidemic!" the man said.

"Then why are people allowed to be out on the street where they could infect one another? If you are that terrified of the flu spreading, why isn't there a general quarantine where people are confined to their homes for a set period of time until the flu is eradicated? But no, there's nothing like that. Life goes on as usual in Terseria, except for this little patch everyone is now forced to wear which I'm convinced isn't doing anyone any good. I think the only ones profiting from the patch are the government and the vaccine makers. Am I right?"

The man glared at him.

"Am I right?" the Doctor repeated.

"This interrogation is ended. The prisoner is being uncooperative!" the man said to the guard.

"Why? Because I'm asking uncomfortable questions that you don't want to answer? Because I'm on to the truth you and others like you are trying so diligently to cover up? Is that why I'm being so uncooperative in your eyes?" the Doctor said to him. "If you have nothing to hide, why not answer me? What is really going on here? What is the Terserian government doing to its people?"

"Get him out of here!" the man said angrily.

"You can't hide the truth forever. Sooner or later, someone will find out what you're doing and I'm pretty sure there will be hell to pay when that happens."

The man spun around and glared at the guard.

"Did you hear me? Get the rambling idiot out of here this instant and take him back to his cell!" he snarled.

The guard opened the door and walked behind the chair. The Doctor felt the guard shove the shock stick in between his shoulder blades. He let out a contemptuous snort as he stood up. He gave the man one last look before he walked out of the room.

The man stood and watched him go back to his cell. He shook his head.

"This man knows too much. He needs to be silenced permanently and I think I know exactly how to do it. First I need to go back to my office and contact Ba'zon. I need some information from him."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Mickey let out an angry sigh while he leaned up against the iron door. Martha and Rose were sitting across the cement room on a dirty cot. The cell was windowless and the only other things in the room were a light bulb suspended from the ceiling and a ventilation duct next to it.

"How long they gonna keep us in here?" Mickey asked.

"As long as they want to apparently," Martha replied. "We were in Za'tiria's room without permission, not to mention we lied to the police about who we were."

"And since the government seems to be covering up this whole Nok flu, then I'm sure they won't give a tinker's cuss about our rights or violating them," Rose added.

"Well, I wish we had something to pick the lock with," Mickey muttered, glancing back at the door. "We need to get out of here and find out what they did with the Doctor."

At that moment, they heard the door unlocking. Mickey backed away from it while Rose and Martha stood up. A guard entered holding a clipboard. He looked at Mickey.

"Are you Idiotboy?" he said to him.

Mickey's mouth dropped open.

"Excuse me? What did you just call me?" he said angrily.

"Idiotboy, that's your name, isn't. Mickey Idiotboy?"

"No!"

"Oh really, then what is it?"

"It's---"

Mickey gasped when Rose kicked him hard in the shin. He saw her warning look and cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, I'm out of sorts after everything that's happened, it is…Idiotboy."

The guard nodded.

"Very well. Mister Idiotboy, Miss Judoonmoon, and Miss Badwolf, you will accompany me to the interrogation room."

Rose and Martha stared at each other for a moment and then erupted into giggles while Mickey sighed angrily.

"I swear to God, I am gonna kill the Doctor," he muttered.

He and the others walked outside the door. They saw another guard waiting for them.

"This way," the guard said.

The guard with the clipboard came out of the room, shut the door, and followed behind while they led them to the interrogation room. On the way there, the three friends looked around at the other cell doors trying to find the Doctor. As they passed by one door, Rose looked through the window and saw the Doctor sitting on a cot, staring at the floor.

"Doctor!" she yelled.

The Doctor's head snapped up as Mickey and Martha turned to see where Rose was looking. The Doctor let out a relieved yell and ran to the door.

"Rose, Martha, Mickey, are you guys alright?" he asked her.

One of the guards tried to pull Rose away from the door while the other grabbed Mickey and Martha by the arms and pulled them down the hall. Rose grabbed onto the bars of the cell door window and held on for dear life.

"Doctor, they're taking us to the interrogation room!" she cried out as the guard tried to pull her away.

"Let her go!" the Doctor screamed at the guard who was trying to pry her fingers off the bars. "I demand to go with them!"

He let out an enraged yell when the guard pulled out his shock stick and shocked Rose in the back. She screamed in agony and fell to the floor, stunned, while the Doctor screamed curses at the guard.

"Damn you!" the Doctor screamed as the guard grabbed her under the arms and dragged her down the hall with the others.

Rose lifted her head and listened as the Doctor screamed out her name. They turned a corner and she murmured his name while the guard dragged her towards the interrogation room.

He pulled her inside and sat her down roughly in the chair. She gave the guard a dazed look while Martha quickly checked her vital signs. Once she was satisfied that she was okay, Martha leaned back in her chair and looked over at Mickey beside her.

"She'll be alright," she said when she saw the worry on his face.

Mickey nodded. The three of them sat side by side listening to the Doctor's enraged screams and curses echoing down the hall. Then, a man stepped inside the room and nodded to the guards. They bowed and left. They closed the door behind them and they could no longer hear the Doctor's screams. The man turned to the three companions and glanced at Rose.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, Miss Badwolf," he said with no hint of being the least bit sorry. "You were resisting and my guards had no choice but to shock you into submission."

"You shouldn't have done that in front of the Doctor," Rose said softly. "Now you've made him mad and you won't like him when he's mad."

The man waved his hand dismissively.

"He does not scare me. I have faced more intimidating men than him," he said. "At any rate, if he wishes the three of you to remain unharmed, he better not try anything stupid."

He leaned up against the wall and folded his arms over his chest.

"Now, perhaps you can tell me who you really are and what you are doing here?" he asked them. "And I warn you if you are caught lying, there will be serious repercussions. So out with it, who are you and what is your mission here?"

"I am a medical student from Pollos Eleven, "Rose said. "I came with the Doctor to observe and help him while he gathered information about the Nok flu."

"Indeed, and what exactly are you specializing in, Miss Badwolf?"

"Alien communicable diseases and alien pathology," Rose said thankful she knew the names of actual courses from university.

"And you wish to do what with this degree?" the man asked.

"I'm trying to become an expert in disease prevention and treatment of alien populations and also be able to determine type of disease through autopsy," Rose said automatically.

The man glanced over at Martha and Mickey who were staring at him passively. He studied their faces looking for any sign of deception, but all three of them had been trained by the Doctor on how to handle interrogations and they were able to hide their emotions and maintain a poker face. The man snorted at them and looked back at Rose.

"And this is what your master told you to say?"

"He's not my master," Rose said.

The man stared at her with a smirk on his face.

"Your lover then," he said to her.

"He's not my lover either."

The smirk widened.

"Oh really? They told me you put up quite a fight when you saw him. Much more than these two did, which is why they had to shock you."

"I was scared because I didn't know what you are going to do with us and when I saw him, I panicked," Rose said calmly. "The Doctor is a close friend and a mentor, but he is not my lover."

The man stared at her face and she looked back at him impassively.

"Funny, you don't seem terrified," the man said to her.

Rose shrugged.

"Well, since you shocked me, I decided it was better to remain calm," she replied.

The man regarded her silently for a moment.

"I am not entirely convinced, Miss Badwolf, I believe I will go a little deeper with my questioning of you and your friends."

"Go as deep as you like, you won't learn anything from us that I haven't already told you," Rose said shrugging.

"Oh, we shall see, Miss Badwolf,"

He opened the door and leaned out. Whispering something to the guards, he opened the door wider and let them come inside the room.

"You will go with them, I have a machine that will tell me straight away whether or not you are lying," he said to them.

He narrowed his eyes.

"And trust me, I meant exactly what I said about the consequences if you are found to be lying. I guarantee you they will not be pleasant if you are." He said.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The Doctor paced around his cell, like a lion in a cage. After witnessing them shocking Rose, he was ready to bust down the door. He didn't know what they were doing to them, but he couldn't sit around and wait to find out. He had heard the door to the interrogation room slam earlier, and he shuddered to think what was going on behind it.

He ran to the door and looked out the window. He cursed when he couldn't see anyone nearby.

"I have to get out of here and find them. If they crack under torture and talk, then that's it for all of us," he muttered.

He let out another curse knowing that they had taken his sonic screwdriver from him. He felt sure that they didn't know what it was, only that they were taking it from him as a precaution. Still, if there was one thing he hated, it was to be without his screwdriver. He laid his head against the cold steel of the door while he tried to come up with a plan.

"Think, think, think," he muttered, lightly banging his forehead on the door.

He leaned his head up when he heard voices and looked out the tiny window. He turned his head to the side and saw that two men, a fat, balding one and thin, brown haired one, were walking down the corridor towards him. He waited until they were passing by before he yelled at them. The two men nearly jumped out of their skins and glared at him.

"Oi, settle down, you!" the fat one said.

"For your information, I requested to be taken to the interrogation room twenty minutes ago, and no one has come to get me," the Doctor replied.

The guards looked at each other.

"Really? You in that big a hurry to get interrogated?" the thin one said, amused.

"Yes, I am. I'm a busy man, and I haven't got all day to proclaim my innocence and explain my side of things. Now, could you two kindly escort me to the interrogation room, so I can get this nonsense over with?"

The fat one looked at the thin one.

"What you think, Lock'na?" he asked him.

"I don't know, Re'lian, I didn't get any orders to move any prisoners."

The Doctor feigned exasperation.

"You are guards, are you not?" he said, giving them a patronizing look.

They nodded.

"Then, surely, you can escort me down to the interrogation room, so I can clear my name and get out of here in time for supper."

I don't know," Re'lian said, rubbing the back of his neck, "we might get in trouble."

The Doctor let out another sigh.

"Oh, come on, do you honestly think I'm gonna try to run away from you? I know better than that, especially since I'm in here trying to prove my innocence. I'm not gonna jeopardize that, so will you please open the door and take me down to the interrogation room?"

They looked at each other.

"What do you think, Lock'na?"

"I don't see the harm in it. We can take him down there and lock the door, so he can't get out."

"Yeah, but we didn't get any orders to move him."

"I assure you, gentlemen, I am supposed to be moved. The warden, himself, agreed to it, and I will vouch for you. Now, please, open the door and move me."

"You promise to explain this to To'qa?" Re'lian said.

"I give you my word, gentlemen. I will take the blame if To'qa gets angry at you."

Lock'na shrugged.

"I see no harm in it."

"No, me neither."

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, gentleman," he said.

He stepped back and waited patiently, while Re'lian unlocked the door. He had to time this whole thing right and wait until the right moment to make his move. Luckily, he had centuries of experience at this kind of thing. He only hoped that his friends would be all right in the meantime.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The guards stopped in front of a door and held fast to Rose, Martha, and Mickey while another one opened the door. They looked in and noticed there were five chairs side by side. Each of them had a huge, metal box positioned over them.

The guards dragged them inside before they could move. Martha noticed that Rose was still a bit dazed from the effects of the shock stick, and she was half dragged to the chair. All three of them were forced to sit and were strapped in. They pushed a button on each box, and a green force field surrounded them in a circle. The man who had been interrogating them walked inside and stood in front of them.

"These are truth chairs. The force fields around you are monitoring your brain waves and vital signs. I will ask you questions, and any abnormal change in either will result in the force field shocking your entire body. So, once again, I will warn you not to lie if you know what is good for you.

He nodded at a guard who walked over to a nearby table, opened a drawer, and pulled out a thin, silver device that had a small, silver pencil attached to it. He sat down, grabbed the pencil, and held it over the device, waiting patiently for the questions to begin.

"Are you ready, Interrogator Ut'serion?" he asked the man.

"Yes, Minister Za'tok, you may proceed."

"Excellent," Za'tok said, "then, we'll begin."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It's really nice of you to do this," the Doctor said, amicably, as he followed the two guards down the hall, "I really don't want to spend all day sitting in a cold, cramped cell when I'm completely innocent."

"Oh, really?" Lock'na said, "and what are you being accused of?"

"Oh," the Doctor said, waving his hand dismissively, "breaking and entering or something stupid like that. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's an unfair cop."

"Yes, I'm sure it is," Re'lian said, rolling his eyes, as Lock'na snorted.

"Why, gentlemen, I'm shocked. You act like you don't believe me."

"No, we don't," Lock'na said, "we get that whole; I'm innocent thing, all the time."

"Uh-huh, so you ever stop to think all those people might be telling you the truth?"

"The Terserian government never makes mistakes," Re'lian replied.

"Indeed. Well, you know, that is rather shocking to hear since I, obviously, was a mistake. I guess there's a first time for everything, right?"

"Yeah, right," Lock'na said.

They stopped in front of the door to the interrogation room. Lock'na stepped in front of him and reached into his pockets for the keys while Re'lian guarded him from behind. He cleared his throat when he heard the door unlock.

"By the way, gentlemen," he said, casually, "have either of you ever heard of Venusian Aikido?"

Lock'na opened the door.

"No, I haven't," he said, not looking back at him.

The Doctor glanced back at Re'lian.

"You?" he asked.

"No, never heard of it."

"Ah, well, it's a fascinating martial art. Very difficult to learn because the Venusians have five arms, but I mastered it. Which is a major achievement, since I only have two arms."

"Well, goody for you," Lock'na said, dryly, "now if you'll just step inside, we can lock the door behind you."

"I have a better idea. How about if I give you both a demonstration of my proficiency in Venusian aikido?"

Before they could react, the Doctor raised his arms and brought his hands down hard on the back of their necks. He smiled when they both fell to the floor, unconscious.

"Fascinating martial art," he said, to them, "simply fascinating. You oughta study it sometime. That way, you will be better prepared the next time someone like me gets the drop on you."

He reached down, grabbed Lock'na's keys, and both their shock sticks. He had a thought, made a quick search, and sighed angrily when he couldn't find his screwdriver. He leaned back up, put the keys and shock sticks in his coat pocket, and smiled at them.

"Well, it's been a lovely time, but I have to go and save my friends. Thanks so much for aiding in my escape. You were both good sports for doing that. Toodles."

He turned and sprinted down the corridor beside him, hoping that nothing would happen to his companions before he reached them.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Za'tok grinned.

They had been interrogating the prisoners for about five minutes now and so far, all three of them had been lying through their teeth.

"You know, I would think after the first couple of lies, the shocks would be enough to convince you to tell the truth," he said, "now, I don't know what you're hiding, but I can assure you it's not worth your lives. So, I will ask again, why are you really here? And if I were you, I'd say the right answer."

"We are medical students from the University of Pollos Eleven," Martha said.

Za'tok sighed angrily as the force field zapped her, causing her body to convulse violently.

"I grow tired of this," he said, throwing up his hands, "seems that you are stuck on the same old story. Perhaps a dose of Styn'gian acid on your backs will get your minds out of the rut it's in."

He nodded at Ut'serion and he tucked his writing device underneath his arm. Za'tok looked over at the guards.

"Take them to the lab. I want to apply Styn'gian acid to their backs."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!"

The guards turned and grunted when someone slammed his fists into their faces, knocking them out. Za'tok watched as the Doctor stepped over them into the room. He turned and faced the minister with barely contained rage.

"Listen, and listen well," he said, through clenched teeth, "you will turn off the force fields surrounding my friends and let them go. Then, you will let us all walk out of here and I swear on every deity in the universe if you try to interfere in any way, I will force your throat open and pour the acid down it."

"How dare you threaten a minister of the Terserian government!" Za'tok said, "I will have you drawn and quartered and fed to the Bo'lian Rats!"

He gasped when the Doctor, quick as lightning, lunged at Za'tok, whipped the shock stick out of his pocket, and held it against his throat.

"I am the wrong man to threaten," the Doctor said, with wild eyes, "I especially don't like seeing my friends tortured, and trust me, you don't want to make me angry. Now, let them go or I'll torture you and believe me, I will make what they're going through look like nothing."

The Doctor glanced over at Ut'serion and noticed he was looking past him. He turned his head and saw two more guards entering the room, shock sticks drawn.

"Tell your guard dogs to stand down or you'll get it!" he snarled at Za'tok.

He jammed the shock stick into his throat for added emphasis.

"Back off!" Za'tok yelled.

The Doctor looked back and noticed the guards were standing down and heading back towards the door. He looked at Za'tok.

"Good, now order the flunky behind you to turn off the force field and release my friends."

"Do as he says, Ut'serion."

Ut'serion laid the writing device on the desk, ran over, and shut off the force fields. The Doctor kept a wary eye on him while he loosened the restraints. He gave them a quick once-over. Mickey and Martha were all right, albeit a little dazed from the shocks they received, but Rose was barely conscious. He took one look at her and suddenly flashed back to his and Martha's torture at the hands of the Valeyard. Rage consumed him and it was all he could do not to rip Za'tok apart with his bare hands.

"Now, step away from them!" he barked, when Ut'serion finished loosening Rose's restraints.

He obeyed and the Doctor looked at Za'tok. Za'tok stared at his coal-black eyes that were blazing with rage and hate, and he swallowed hard.

"If…if you kill me, you'll have the whole Terserian government hunting you down!" he said, quickly, "I am a high-ranking official."

"I don't care who you are!" the Doctor snarled at him, "no one hurts my friends and gets away with it. And as for the whole Terserian government, let them come after me. I'm not afraid of anyone or anything! You, on the other hand, should be very, very afraid of me and what I could do to you right now!"

Za'tok studied him.

"Who are you really?" he said.

A maniacal smile spread over his face.

"I'm you and your government's worst nightmare!" he said.

He smirked reveling in the flicker of fear in the minister's face.

"Now, you and your toadies are going to go over and sit in the chairs. And you are going to do it quietly and without any resistance."

He looked back at the guards.

"NOW!" he bellowed at them.

The guards were taken aback when they saw the rage on his face. Meekly, they went over and sat in the two empty chairs. The Doctor shoved the shock stick in Za'tok's neck and forced him to move towards the other chairs. Mickey and Martha were slowly rising up out of them, but Rose was still slumped over in hers.

"Are you two alright?" he asked Mickey and Martha.

"We'll live," Martha muttered.

Mickey put his arm around her and helped her walk over to the table. The Doctor shoved Za'tok.

"Sit! And you, sit down next to him, now!"

Both men sat in the chairs. The Doctor moved quickly, restraining all of them. He searched both men's pockets and let out a triumphant yell when he found his screwdriver on Za'tok. With a sigh of relief, he pocketed it in his trousers. Once the captives were strapped in, he turned his attention to Rose.

"Rose," he said, kneeling down next to her, "Rose, are you alright?"

"Doctor," she murmured.

"Yes, it's me," the Doctor said, stroking her hair, "we're getting out of here now."

"Good."

He gathered her into his arms and stood up. He glared at Za'tok.

"You are damn lucky you didn't kill her, or Mickey, or Martha," he said, "because if you had, I would have found a way to make your own death far worse and much more painful."

"You won't get away with this, Doctor," Za'tok snarled, "I will get free and when I do, I will make you pay for this insult."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"Perhaps you didn't hear me the first time when I said stay the hell away from me and my friends. Trust me, you don't want to anger me further because I will make you regret every moment of it.'

He turned his back, looked at Mickey and Martha and nodded towards the door. They slowly walked towards it, as the Doctor held Rose close to his body and followed them. Pausing at the door, he threw one last look back at Za'tok.

"Remember my words," he said, ominously.

He walked out. Almost immediately, Za'tok began bellowing for someone to come and free them and the Doctor, Mickey, and Martha broke into a run, trying to reach the door before someone locked it on them. Thankfully, the guards that were left standing were all running towards the interrogation room and they were able to leave the building, unopposed.

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After about an hour of frantically searching, and avoiding anyone who looked like law enforcement, the Doctor found an abandoned building. He gave Rose to Mickey, opened the door with his screwdriver, ushered his companions in and shut it. Locking it back, he turned his attention back to Rose.

"Come on, we gotta find somewhere for her to rest," he said to him.

They searched the building and found an abandoned office that contained a broken desk and an old battered couch sitting on the right side of the room. The Doctor nodded to Mickey, and the three of them went in. Mickey gently laid Rose on the couch, wincing when the dust she kicked up made her cough.

"D'ya think she'll be all right here?" Mickey asked him.

"For the moment, I think," the Doctor replied, "but, now we're fugitives and I'm sure once posh guy gets free, he's gonna have the troops out searching for us."

He gave Rose a soft kiss on the forehead.

"Rest, angel, you're safe now," he said.

He smiled when she let out a contented sigh and closed her eyes. He turned to look at Martha and Mickey.

"This guy who was…torturing you. Did he say anything about who he was, who he works for?"

Mickey shook his head.

"No, the guy who was writing down what we were saying called him Minister Za'tok though," he said.

"But, other than that, he didn't tell anything about himself. He was trying to get information out of us," Martha replied.

"Did you tell him anything?"

Mickey and Martha shook their heads. The Doctor gave them a sad smile. He was proud that they had been able to keep from telling this Za'tok anything, but at the same time, he hated that they had to suffer for their silence. It was the price his companions had to pay time and again for being with him and sometimes he wondered if they would be better off if they had never met him.

He shook those thoughts from his head. This wasn't the time or place to mentally beat himself up. He had to figure out what was going on and stop it before they or anyone else was hurt or killed.

"Minister, eh? I figured he looked like a higher up," the Doctor mused, "so, we finally got the government's attention. Damn, wish I'd known who he was, I would have pressed him for more information, but I was more concerned with getting you and Rose out of there before escape was impossible. But sooner or later, we're gonna have to confront him and get some answers out of him. And I suppose it'll have to be sooner since we can't show our faces in public now without being imprisoned."

He sighed.

"Still, we'll take things moment to moment, and at the moment, you two need to rest. So, if you guys can find somewhere to lie down, I'll stay here and look after Rose while I try to plan our next move."

They nodded.

"Come on, Martha, let's go find some more couches," Mickey said.

He squeezed her hand and the two of them walked out the door. The Doctor watched them go. Then, with a gentle kiss on her cheek, he laid his head against the top of Rose's and held her hand while he tried to think up a plan.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Za'tok stomped into his office. He had been utterly humiliated in front of mere prison officials and guards by this John Smith and he was eager to get his revenge on him. He headed back to his office. He knew that they had been given vaccine patches by Ba'zon. He hoped that one of the patches was enhanced and he was going to ask the apothecary as soon as he arrived.

"If not, I'll send men to hunt them down, drag them to my office and I'll stick enhanced patches on them myself. That'll teach them to meddle in my affairs," he muttered.

He reached the building where he and the other ministers worked. Ignoring the receptionist who greeted him, he walked past her to his office, opened the door and slammed it behind him. He walked into the next room to his holoprojector and punched in the number sequence that would call Ba'zon's office. He stood there tapping his foot impatiently, muttering under his breath about how slow Ba'zon was. By the time he got to his projector, Za'tok was even angrier.

"I grow tired of being made to wait each time I summon you!" he growled at the apothecary.

Ba'zon sighed.

"Minister, I would love to be at your beck and call but I have to administer these vaccine patches that you yourself ordered me to administer. There are a lot of people in this city and not very many apothecaries which means I am quite busy. I was in the middle of giving someone a patch when you called and I hurried as fast as I could but apparently it wasn't fast enough to suit you. A thousand apologies for my lateness, Minister," he said giving him a mock bow.

"Don't mock me, apothecary," he said, narrowing his eyes at him.

Ba'zon sighed.

"I'm sorry, Sir," he said. "What is it you want?"

"When you administered the patches to John Smith and his students, were any of them enhanced?"

"Yes, one."

Za'tok could hardly contain his joy.

"Give me the serial number of the enhanced patch then," he said.

"Yes, Minister."

"Good, now I can teach one of them a lesson they won't soon forget," Za'tok muttered under his breath when Ba'zon stepped out of range.

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Once the Doctor knew that Rose was truly asleep he got up and walked outside so he could get some fresh air and continue to think. He put his hands in the pockets of his black leather pants and rocked back and forth on his heels while he stared at the darkening sky. The planet's moon was beginning to rise and the stars were beginning to come out. There weren't very many people where they were at, just the occasional person who passed by without taking any notice of him. He leaned back against the wall and stared up at the moon while he continued to ponder their next move.

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Rose knew she was dreaming. She knew it because he was standing in front of her in that familiar brown pin striped suit, white trainers and impish grin. She often dreamed about him even though she had moved on in the waking world with the current Doctor. But his tenth life was the first one she had truly given her heart to and she still missed him sometimes. She had never told the current Doctor. He often referred to his past lives as if they were separate people and she wasn't sure how he would feel about her still dreaming about his tenth self. Would he accept that or would he be jealous of him? Besides, it was only a dream. She loved him as he was now so she didn't see the problem with it.

She walked up to his tenth self and smiled at him when he gave her that warm gaze he always used to give her.

"Hello there, Rosey Posey!" he said. "Nice to see ya again."

"Yeah, you too," she replied, putting her hand on his chest.

The Doctor's smiled widened when he took the hand and gently brought it up to his lips.

Then Rose gasped when he began to give wet sucking slobbery tongue-filled kisses all over the back of her hand. He laughed when she pulled her hand away.

"Oi! What'd ya think ya are? Some kind of bleedin' dog?" she said, wiping the saliva on her pant leg.

"Sorry, Angel, my oral fixation took hold of me for a moment," he replied, winking, while she slapped his chest.

He smiled tenderly.

"How are things? Enjoying being with the other me?"

"Oh yeah, I'm havin' fun," she said.

The Doctor pouted at that.

"You had fun with me," he whined. "I was much more fun than him, wasn't I?"

She laughed.

"Eh, not really," she teased.

She laughed harder when he feigned anger.

"Fine then, I'm no fun I'll just go over here and sulk then," he said, walking past her.

She giggled as he stomped the ground with each step over to the corner of the room. Then, letting out a loud, prolonged, melodramatic sigh he slid down the wall and pretended to cry. Rose grinned when he put the back of his hand against his forehead and yelled out, "Alack and alas, I was a total bore to Rose Tyler, whatever shall become of me?"

She walked over to him and patted him on the head.

"Nah, you weren't a bore. I had a blast with ya," she said.

She giggled when he jumped out with a gleeful little shout and did a happy dance for her. He smiled at her when it was done and raised his hand and held it as if he were about to receive something. Rose saw a banana split materialize in it and he took the spoon and ate it.

"So, you and he are getting along swimmingly then?" he said between bites.

"Yes, we are. He's different from ya though."

"Well, of course he is, Angel. Nobody in the universe is like me."

"Can't argue with that," she said as he gave her a nudge in the arm.

"So, different is good then?" he said, scooping out another bite of ice cream.

"Yes and no. I like the way he is but there are some things he doesn't do that you did and I miss that. It was quite a shock when I first saw him again and he was a different man. I love him but I miss you still."

He swallowed a bit of ice cream and smiled.

"But I'm still here, Angel. I'm inside him just like all the others."

He pointed over her shoulder and she turned to see eight unfamiliar men and one very familiar big eared one. They stood behind her in a line and waved and smiled at her. The Doctor leaned into her ear.

"All of his past lives," he said. "Each of us guard our individual memories inside his head. So, you see, my Rose. I'm still around, still listening and being proud of you even though you can't see me."

Rose eyes settled on the ninth Doctor who came forward.

"It's good to see ya again, Rose," he said in his northern accent. "He's right. I'm inside him as well so even though we're no longer here in body we are here in spirit so don't ever feel like we've gone completely because a part of us will always be here with ya."

Ten put down his banana split and embraced her from behind while Nine hugged her from the front. The other Doctors watched quietly while they stood together and enjoyed being with one another again. They stayed that way for a couple of minutes and then they broke apart.

"I think it's about time for you to wake up, Rose Tyler," Nine said.

"Yup, it's time for us to go back where we came from," Ten said, picking up the banana split. "But it was good seeing you again, Angel, and don't worry, I'll have my current self lick the TARDIS wall for old time's sake."

He ate his ice cream and grinned at her while he went to join the others. All the Doctors waved at her and she waved back watching while they all filed out the door and out of her dream.

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"At last!" Za'tok said when Ba'zon gave him the serial number for the enhanced patch. "Now the real fun can begin. Although I sincerely hope the mind control works this time like it's supposed to. I'd hate to lose my victim to a violent mindless rampage and seizure like the last time."

He quickly hurried into his office to input the numbers into his computer and activate the nanobots that had been absorbed into the bloodstream of the victim.

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Rose woke up shortly after dreaming about the Doctors. She yawned, rubbed her eyes and looked around. She noticed that she was alone.

"Doctor?" she said.

She got up from the couch and walked outside. Looking around she couldn't see anyone. She walked down the hallway calling out his name. She called for about two minutes before she finally heard his voice calling back. She walked over to the front door and stepped out into the moonlit night. He smiled at her.

"Did you have a good nap?"

She nodded.

"Yeah, I feel better now."

He rubbed her cheek.

"No lingering effects from the torture?" he said, concerned.

She shook her head.

"Good. I was just out here enjoying the night and trying to come up with a strategy."

"Any ideas?"

"Not right now but you know me, I'll come up with something eventually in this old noddle. For the moment, I'm just glad that all of you are out of danger and getting some well deserved rest. Hopefully we can stay here a few days and…"

Rose frowned when he trailed off.

"Doctor?" she said.

He didn't say anything. Rose walked over to him and was taken aback when she saw the blank look on his face.

"Doctor?" she said, shaking his arm.

He didn't say anything and Rose began to panic when she noticed he wasn't responding to anything.

"Doctor!" she said, shaking him harder.

She stood there a moment and then hauled off and smacked him hard across the cheek. Her heart raced when he didn't even flinch.

"Doctor!" she said, frantically trying to think of something, anything to snap him out of the trance. "What's wrong? Please wake up!"

Suddenly, the Doctor turned and without a word began to walk away. Rose watched him for a moment and glanced at the building wondering if she should run inside and tell Mickey and Martha. She looked back and noticed he was walking away quickly and she hurried after him wondering where he was going to.


End file.
